At the dawn of the seventies, as popular music trended towards
the fatter tones of humbucking pickups into overdriven amps,
Fender hired legendary humbucking pickup designer Seth Lover to
create a distinctly Fender-flavored take on a higher output
dual-coil pickup. The resulting Wide Range pickup used large
bobbins and threaded CuNiFe rod magnets to achieve its unique and
brilliant sound. The Telecaster® Custom was discontinued in 1979
and real CuNiFe-magnet pickups disappeared with them.